2020 TRD Camry Looks Good On Paper
 

I know it sounds like a stretch and won't even mention the TRD Avalon for fear of being banned, but the TRD Camry could become an H Street Class sleeper unless an Austin Mini or Datsun 510 show up.

My neighbor has a '19 V-6 XLE and it's impressive after the recent updates. 3.5L N/A, 301 hp on 88 octane, 8-speed torque converter A/T, butter smooth, sounds good and gets reasonable fuel economy for a heavy car.

Except for lack of limited slip, it has the goods. Chassis bracing, bigger brakes, light wheels, stiffer lowering springs and sway bars, tuned shocks, Potenza summer tires, a catback dual exhaust and FWIW a Calty designed body kit that is claimed to improve stability.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/release...mry+avalon.htm

Not that I'd get one, but it's good to see TRD getting back into the car game with the 86 and now this instead of giving us another TRD truck/SUV.

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What I hear you saying is they need to put the v6 in the 86?

:scared0016:

Those specs sound similar to an is350 F-type. I like the Camry.

Yep, plus the automatic transmission and 700 to 1000LBs more weight for a nice plush ride.

Feels odd to be considering all these non-sporty vehicles under the TRD name. As far as appearances go I'd think it could use a little more of the "Camry" refinement. Right now it looks like someone moderately riced it up, but had the budget to do so so it doesn't look like cheap garbage. That being said, the tailights don't help the cause since it's sort of the identifying feature that makes one go "oh, that's a Camry/Sedan?"

Just looks funky. Maybe if they went with more aggressive rear lights instead of those wonky, awkwardly long and slitted designs it might look a lot less uncanny. The wheels are also equally amusing knowing what's riding on them. But as others have said, still nice to see TRD branching outside of trucks. Given the option to own one for the value it's worth I'd probably pass for something designed from the ground up to be more sporty, though it's intriguing nonetheless.

Too many angles.

I am just afraid that if they DO decide to go ahead with a redesigned 86 in the future that it will look more like this than how it looks now to give it that "Toyota family link". I am not sure what the Japanese designers are thinking these days. All these folds, ridges, fake vents, giant grills are all just so over the top.

Designed by Americans at Calty, probably at the Newport Beach location where the designers might be influenced driving around looking at Lambos, McLarens, Porsches, and Ferraris all day.

Member @Quentin knows Camry. Here's what he and his team did to make theirs competitive in OLOA on a shoestring budget this year. It sounds like they impressed the field.

https://www.toyotanation.com/forum/8...p-america.html

Except for the body kit, I like what TRD did here. I'd get one in black, delete the rear spoiler and sign up for a BMW Club track day. They'd probably ask me not to return after BMW owner's complaining like they did when I arrived and had a blast passing and lapping some drivers in my IS300 M/T.

Agreed. Tries way too hard.

Probably designed by 10 different body panel committees that didn't communicate between each other.

Ditch every piece of bullshit that doesn't actually do something.

Apparently they look at Honda Civic Type Rs all day. Yuck!

The upside of all this is that it's making the TRD 86 body kit look slightly better. Too bad the 86 version didn't get bracing, springs and sways like the Camry.